


struck a pose (and it struck my heart)

by electrolyte



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Model AU, a long ass fic that was intended to be a long ass one shot but I decided to split it for yall lmao, i miss nomin so much istg, implied... stuff, markhyuck if you use a microscope, model jeno bc why the fk not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2018-12-23 06:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11984415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electrolyte/pseuds/electrolyte
Summary: In which Jaemin is an aspiring fashion stylist who just wants to achieve his dream job, but the hot blond model who is always hanging around his internship company is making his life difficult.





	1. one

“Holy fucking shit, I got it!”

“What?”

“I got the internship at Grazia!” Jaemin literally screams in excitement, and his roommate, Donghyuck winces from almost going deaf. He slides out of his seat at the study table, where he was focusing on his art project before he was rudely interrupted by the other screaming like a banshee, and drags his feet to where his roommate is hunched over his MacBook.

Donghyuck shifts the laptop to face himself, squinting at the blinding brightness of the screen while Jaemin rolls all over his bedsheets with his legs kicking the air, constant yes’s escaping his lips.

“Holy shit Nana you’re going to be a stylist.” The tanner male exclaims in disbelief, unable to grasp the fact that his roommate and best friend, Na Jaemin, the annoyingly flamboyant fashion student at Hansung University, managed to land an internship at one of Seoul’s top fashion magazines.

“I know right!” Said person squeals, grabbing Donghyuck’s shoulders and shaking his best friend’s entire body like a mad man. “I mean, I’m just an intern and I’m only going to be the stylist’s assistant but I can’t believe I’m actually going to be that close to my dream job! Imagine all the clothes and accessories I’ll be working with!”

“And the hot models.” Donghyuck points out.

Jaemin rolls his eyes. Of course Donghyuck would only care about the potential celebrities and models he may have the chance of seeing. Being a fine arts student, Donghyuck claims that ‘he knows art when he sees it’, often directing said compliment at the music majored senior who lives down the hall.

“I’m not there to ogle at the models, Hyuck, I need to make connections. Get big names to notice my potential in the fashion world. I need to start building my reputation.”

“Whatever, but get me an autograph of Nam Joohyuk if you see him!” The art student shrugs, hopping off Jaemin’s bed and dragging himself back to his desk.

The fashion student simply tsks in response, quickly typing up an email to secure his position at the magazine company with a wide grin on his face, already hyped at the thought of starting his internship. He clicks send and leans back into his pillows.

Just two more weeks and twenty year old Na Jaemin is off on his first steps into the fashion industry.

-

Na Jaemin wasn’t born into the fashion industry like certain privileged, insta-famous millennials. No, he had to work his way up from an average family down in Gwangju. His parents, being all Asian and conventional, wanted their only son to achieve perfect grades and go to law school, but of course, Na Jaemin wasn’t going to follow a path that wasn’t paved by himself.

Middle school was when Jaemin first realized his love for fashion and styling. It began when a classmate who wore her pigtails in pink scrunchies brought one of her mother’s magazines for show and tell. He was intrigued by the expensive clothes and conceptual photoshoots, often getting teased by the other boys when he hung out with the girls at lunch, flipping through magazines instead of playing soccer in the field.

Ultimately, Jaemin came out to his parents about his sexuality, as well as his love for fashion, in his final year of middle school. He was immediately shunned and sent to Seoul to live with his uncle Yuta, who was a freelance photographer, and from there he began his journey. He attended a normal co-ed high school, where he met his now best friend, Lee Donghyuck, who was just as flamboyant as he is. He worked part time at the café below his uncle’s apartment for some extra cash, and even helped out a little whenever his uncle requested.

Though Jaemin smoked through his grades in high school, he slowly built up a small fashion portfolio with self-conducted shoots and a little YouTube channel that earned him a spot under Fashion Communication in Hansung University, where he is now in the midst of his sophomore year.

Without a doubt, Jaemin was pretty proud of his achievements, and he wasn’t going to have any more distractions on his way towards his ultimate goal.

-

The first day of his internship eventually came around quicker than expected, not that Jaemin was complaining. He literally jumps out of bed at six thirty in the morning with so much vigor, earning a series of annoyed groans from his roommate. He had already picked out his carefully-styled outfit the night before out of habit, and fixed his hair in the mirror about four times before bolting out the door a whopping forty-five minutes early.

Considering how hella punctual he is for his first day, Jaemin drops by a small bakery close to the company building, and wolfs down a cream cheese bagel and an iced Americano within fifteen minutes, leaving him close to half an hour to spare. He decides he should just clock in early anyways, but he stays rooted to the ground, mouth agape as he stares up at the huge twenty-storeyed building where he’ll be working at for the next six months. He snaps a quick selfie with said building in the background before bouncing through one of the automatic glass doors.

Stepping into the lobby, Jaemin gapes at his surroundings for the second time, eyes trailing the luxurious looking interior, excitement bubbling in his chest. He quits being a burden from standing right in the middle of the morning work crowd, though, and rushes to the administration counter. He introduces himself with a bright smile as the new intern for Grazia and hands him his identification card, but the man simply hands him a lanyard with a new ID, informing him to head to the topmost level with his face still bearing the same bored expression.

Feeling slightly awkward from the unreciprocated greeting, Jaemin just thanks him and loops the lanyard over his head, admiring the card as he waits for the elevator with numerous other well-dressed adults.

His day was already starting out pretty well, and Jaemin feels complete utter happiness with every fiber of his being, even if he had to endure through twenty storeys of being squashed into the corner of the elevator and getting his ears blocked from the air pressure.

‘I can totally get used to this.’ He thinks positively when he finally reaches the top floor, straightening out his outfit before the elevator doors open.

Jaemin nervously steps onto the black marbled floors of the office, taking in the view of his new workplace for the next six months. It was a bustling mess, employees running around with large coffees in hand and numerous clothing racks being rolled across the floor. But Jaemin decides that he likes it. He likes the fast-paced mess that is the fashion world.

The intern skips towards one of the more friendly-looking employees behind one of the front desks, hoping that the petite woman would at least be the one to give him the time of the day. “Uhm hi, I’m Jaemin and I’m the new intern here?”

The lady, clad in striped pants and a ruffled top, looks up at him from her iPad and gives him a little smile.

“Hi honey, I’m Seungwan, the editor’s assistant, but please call me Wendy. What do you need?” Jaemin inwardly thanks the heavens that she was really welcoming, in contrast to all the weird cold stares that he had been receiving since he first stepped into the building.

“I’m looking for a,” the intern pauses, trying to recall the name of his supervisor. “Kim Kibum?”

“Oh-“

“That would be me,” a voice cuts the assistant off from behind. Jaemin turns around to see a man who seems to be in his late twenties, sipping on his large coffee while typing away vigorously on his phone, eyes not even tearing away from the phone screen to face the intern. Jaemin immediately bows and introduces himself, taking in the older’s pretty laid back outfit. He was the head stylist in the magazine firm, yet he was clad simply in a loose white tee, ripped jeans and Gucci sneakers.

The man finally looks up from his phone and quirks up the corner of his lips at Jaemin’s confused expression. “But please call me Key, honey, no one calls me Kibum anymore.”

“Oh uhm, okay, Key hyung?” The younger mumbles out, a little unsure.

“You’re so cute,” Key lets out a little laugh at the younger’s antics. “Come with me.”

Jaemin doesn’t even get a second to process when Key is already speed walking away from him, eyes on his phone screen once again. He takes quick steps to catch up to the older, trying his best to avoid bumping into other rushing employees and absorb all of Key’s rambling at the same time.

“We just finished up a big shoot so we’re only doing the final preparations, nothing much to do. Everything is already according to plan so as you can see, the office is pretty quiet today,” the head stylist drags on, and Jaemin quirks his brow at the last comment. If this is a quiet day at Grazia, he’d better prepare himself for a busy one.

“- oh and Irene will be the one to show you the ropes later on once she’s back from the print room, because I need to run in about,” Key drops his already empty cup into the trash can and looks at his wristwatch. “Two minutes. So, if you have any questions for me, ask now, honey.”

Jaemin stones for a second at the older’s words. There was another stylist that would be overlooking his internship? He thought that Key was the only stylist there, and that he would be trailing after the older like a dog through every schedule. Guess he was wrong about that.

“Sorry, hyung, but who is Irene?” He meekly asks, hoping not to sound too rude or stupid.

“Oh dear,” Key scoffs amusedly. “Your university needs to be more elaborate with their students.”

Jaemin mentally agrees.

“Irene is the other stylist here at Grazia, we work side by side. Petite little darling like Wendy over there. Big eyes, pale complexion and looks like a cold bitch, but she’s weirdly very mother-like.”

Jaemin makes an o with his mouth, nodding to acknowledge the information given.

“Yes, so we’ll be like your parents or something for the next few months, as stupid as that sounds.” The stylist comments with a diva-like roll of his eyes, already picking up his bag and tucking his phone into his back pocket. “Now I gotta go, Irene will be here soon so just wait a little while. Toodles~”

Key literally struts past the intern towards the lifts, cheekily giving him a flying kiss out of habit. He was already too far away before Jaemin could realise, so he simply gives him a little wave. He huffs and looks around the messy studio, hoping that this Irene person would arrive soon.

This was going to be one hell of an internship.

-

Jeno leans back into the suede lounge chair out in the balcony of his penthouse, basking in the sunlight and idly scrolling through Instagram out of boredom. He blows a raspberry with his lips, huffing at the lack of activity on his phone.

Just as he is about to take a sip of his coffee, his phone dings with a notification, and he immediately sits up. He clicks on the email from his agency and opens the google drive link, where he scrolls through his numerous photos from a recent advertisement gig with Supercomma B. He smiles in content at how well the photos came out, mentally noting to himself to add some of them to his portfolio.

Another notification pops up on his phone, and this time it’s a message from his manager in the agency.

_Got you a spot in Grazia for their next issue. Head down to their building for casting next week. The shoot is in about two weeks._

Jeno smiles, finally having something to look forward to. He sends back a cheeky emoji to express his gratitude, and takes a long sip of his coffee before leaning back into his lounge chair for a quick nap. He was pretty much living his life.

You could say that Jeno Lee was fairly new to the industry, what with his young age of only twenty years and his modelling career only taking off a few months prior. Back in highschool, Jeno would’ve never thought of becoming a model. His grades weren’t amazing, and he didn’t exactly have his future all planned out. However, no one can deny that Jeno Lee is so devilishly handsome – his sharp features and boyish looks often attracting lots of attention.

How he was casted as model was an interesting story. His close cousin, Jung Yoonoh, who goes by Jaehyun, is actually a pretty popular actor. He’s been in multiple dramas as the heart-throbbing main character, even landing as one of the cast in a recent blockbuster.

Jeno was seen with his famous cousin multiple times, his good looks gaining multiple questions about his existence. He wasn’t extremely tall or exotic looking, but his lean body allowed him to pull off almost any look that was given to him, and modelling agencies couldn’t just look away.

It was almost as if he was born to be a model, already gaining some recognition and praises from his seniors for being so natural at the job, and Jeno was honestly loving it. The lights, the cameras, the clothes – all of it. And sooner or later, Jeno realizes that maybe he really was meant to be a model, for he couldn’t picture himself doing anything else.

He was still considered a rookie model of course, taking part in little advertisement gigs and small magazine shoots. He hasn’t hit the big runway yet, but he hopes that he will soon, wanting to really put his name out there in the industry.

But in the meantime, Jeno spends his days waiting around for new jobs in the penthouse that he shares with Jaehyun. It may seem a little sad that his schedule isn’t crazily packed yet as a model, but he enjoys the time he has to himself, knowing full well that times like these are rare in the fashion world.

-

Jaemin drops himself in his seat, worn out from his fourth coffee run of the day, and it was only a few minutes past four in the afternoon. Irene had shown him some basic things around the office, but like Key had mentioned, they’ve already finished a big shoot prior to Jaemin’s arrival and there was nothing much to do yet, hence Irene couldn’t exactly provide him with any tasks other than coffee runs and simple organization work. Besides, Irene herself was already busy enough running around doing other things. She couldn’t sit down next to the intern like a mother and go over every single detail about his job scope.

He sighs and leans back in his chair, staring at the blank screen of the iMac on his desk. He even checks his phone for anything to kill time with, but to no avail. So he spends the rest of his time drumming his fingers on the smooth white surface of his table staring at the clock on the wall, hoping that time would pass by a little quicker.

“Why the long face?” A familiar voice pulls him out of his thoughts. Jaemin mentally slaps himself awake and straightens up, peering over to see Wendy giving him a worried look.

“Oh, I’m just,” he pauses, unsure if he should express his thoughts, but he decides that he can confide in the older. “A little bored I guess? I really wanna do something but I haven’t seen Irene noona for over an hour.”

The woman giggles and places a stack of folders in front of the young boy.

“Don’t be so discouraged, dear, it’s only your first day.”

Jaemin huffs. “Yes I know, but I can’t help but feel afraid that I’ll just be doing coffee runs for six months.”

“Oh honey no!” Wendy suddenly exclaims. “Sure it’ll be a little dry during your first week here, with just runs and very little styling opportunities. But Key and Irene are amazing and they’re not going to exploit your presence into just being some sort of slave.”

“Yeah I hope not.”

“Mhm,” the older agrees. “Now I’m not saying that you’ll suddenly be flooded with better things tomorrow, but trust me when I say it’ll be better. Don’t give up so quick, I see lots of potential in you.”

“Thank you, Wendy noona. I’ll work hard!” Jaemin says with newfound enthusiasm that makes Wendy smile like a proud mother.

“Good. Here,” she points at the stack of folders she brought with her. “These are some of the shoots that we’ve done for the past year that you can take a look at. There’s some of Key’s and Irene’s notes that you can learn from too.”

Jaemin eyes the folders as if they were treasure, his mood immediately being uplifted. He thanks the older with so much gratitude and she simply smiles at him, making her exit. The intern flips the first folder, already feeling overwhelmed by the multiple scribbles, draft shots and photographs that it contained, and he spends the rest of his day feeling a little more motivated.

 _You can do this, Na Jaemin._ He constantly tells himself.

-

It turns out that Wendy was pretty much right about everything she said that day. Though unfortunately, Jaemin had to endure his whole first week of internship doing almost the same thing as he did on his first day. It had come to a point where the baristas at the Starbucks a few blocks down where he frequented for coffee runs already knew his name and his usual orders.

Of course, there were moments where Jaemin began to feel a little restless and demoralized, but he constantly recalls Wendy’s words and the amount of struggles he went through to get to where he is now. Besides, he still had another twenty-four weeks of learning, and he takes Wendy’s words into account when she says that he won’t be a coffee boy for six months.

It was a new week for Jaemin at Grazia, and he comes in first thing in the morning with a new purpose – to do every single thing with enthusiasm, no matter how small or insignificant the job is. The office was the normal kind of busy, as per usual, and Jaemin starts his day by helping Irene to organize some clothes in the studio. He ogles at the couture pieces that he can’t afford, lingering a little longer at famous garments that were known to be constantly sold out in seconds.

Irene teases him for the twinkles in his eyes every time he pulls out a hanger, joking that the intern would just marry those clothes if he could. And Jaemin agrees with her.

His day gets better when he returns from lunch and Key suddenly rushes to him looking all flustered and hands him a black American Express card.

“Jaemin, thank God!” The older exclaims, and Jaemin feels a little scared, but excited nonetheless. “Irene and I are going to be busy with a casting in a few, but this really needs to be done.”

Jaemin literally runs to his desk and grabs his things, notepad already in hand to take down Key’s request.

“That is one of the company’s cards,” he says, pointing towards the black American Express card in Jaemin’s hand. “You can use it for when you need to take cabs for runs or pay for clothing rentals, I trust that you won’t use it for personal things. I’ll find out anyways.”

The intern inwardly gasps and stares at the card as if it was made of actual gold, carefully slotting it into his wallet for safekeeping.

“Now I need you to do this for me, listen carefully,” Key continues, and Jaemin suddenly feels a rush of adrenaline. “I’ll be texting you an address in a bit. Take a cab down to the venue and look for a Jennie Kim. Tell her I sent you, and she’ll give you four Vetements jackets and two Moschino dresses. I’ll need you to deliver them to the second address, all within the next thirty minutes, got it?”

Jaemin could feel his heart racing with every word that Key says to him, and gives him a firm _got it_ in response. The stylist nods and urges him to quickly leave, and Jaemin rushes to the lifts in excitement.

When Jaemin returns from his first successful clothing run, the office is in a mess. Not the usual kind of mess that he’s already used to, but a new kind of mess. A mess that is known to be present when there is a casting with a model going on.

He peers over the multiple heads crowding the small studio, attempting to get a glimpse of the action. He catches sight of Key and Irene fumbling over clothes as usual, and Jaemin giggles a little at how disheveled they look. He spots a tall blond head whom he assumes is the model they’ll be working with, his broad back facing him, and the intern low-key sulks at the fact that he was missing out on his first casting, but he reassures himself that there will be more for him to experience soon.

The rest of the week was honestly a blur. All Jaemin could remember was going out on more clothing runs for an upcoming shoot, jumping from store to store, brand to brand, hauling huge bags of luxury goods into the multiple cabs that he had to take in a single day. It was a huge contrast in comparison to his first week, and there was barely time for him to even go out to grab lunch, opting for quick bites during his cab rides instead.

But of course, Jaemin couldn’t complain about that. He is honestly having the time of his life. Before Grazia, he never pictured himself walking into luxurious stores, swiping a black card and leaving with a huge bag of clothes that costed more than an arm and leg. Even though they were just rentals for shoots and not for himself, he still thoroughly enjoyed the feeling.

It was the Thursday of Jaemin’s second week at Grazia, and Jaemin was out on his final clothing run for the day. He exits the tall glass building that is the Givenchy store in the middle of Gangnam, six bags of clothes and accessories hanging from his sore arms. He groans when his phone suddenly rings, and he tries to hold all six bags in one hand, but fails, two of them dropping on the pavement by his feet with a thud.

 _Yikes_ , he hopes that didn’t cause any damage.

He quickly fishes out his phone from his back pocket, swiping right to accept the call from Irene. He doesn’t even get a chance to greet her when she literally shrieks through the phone, and Jaemin pulls away for a slight moment.

“Jaemin! Key hasn’t slept for two days and he’s going mental, we need more coffees!”

“What, I-“

“Oh and two blueberry muffins! Get something for yourself too!” The woman interrupts with another shriek, and for a moment there, Jaemin feels Donghyuck’s pain.

“But noona I-“

“Thanks sweetie, bye!” And she hangs up without even hearing an explanation from the intern. Jaemin huffs and slides his phone back into his pocket. He eyes the numerous bags around him with worry. How on earth was he going to balance all of these things together with more coffee?

He blows a raspberry with his lips, and scans the area for a nearby Starbucks outlet, eyes squinting from the brightness of the sun. He spots the iconic green logo just a few blocks down, and grabs all of his bags, readying himself for the walk of his life.

It takes Jaemin exactly nine minutes to get to said Starbucks, and he sighs in relief when he steps in, the cool air of the air conditioning making him less annoyed with the afternoon heat. He quickly makes his way to the counter to place his usual orders, getting an iced Americano and an extra muffin for himself.

He sits himself down at a vacant table near the entrance, bags surrounding him. A few people glance at him a little strangely, but he ignores them and fans himself with his hands while waiting.

When a barista finally approaches him with his order, Jaemin pretty much regrets getting himself an extra set. He eyes every single thing that he has to haul back to the office – the three coffees, the bag of muffins and of course the six large paper bags of couture. He sighs for the nth time that day, wrecking his brain to find a way to carry everything within one trip out onto the roadside to flag a cab.

After what seemed to be forever, Jaemin finally manages to grab hold of everything. He balances the coffee holder on his left arm together with two reasonably lighter bags hanging from his fingers. His right hand carried the remaining heavier bags and the bag of muffins were tucked under his elbow, the warm pastries pressing against his side. He waddles towards the exit but pauses at the door. He groans and curses under his breath, for he realizes that he is unable to push the door open. He considers pushing the glass door with his leg, but a deep voice interrupts his thoughts.

“Need some help?”

The intern peers over his shoulder at the stranger, and is faced with a tall figure offering a hand with an amused smile. The man is just slightly taller than he is, and is dressed casually in Adidas track pants and a white tee, a blue cap sitting atop his blond locks. Jaemin couldn’t help but to linger a little longer at the man’s youthful face. He seems about his age and damn, his own two eyes have never been so blessed to see such an ethereal being.

Jaemin almost gapes at the stranger, but immediately snaps out of it when his arm begins to ache again.

“O-oh uhm, it’s fine I got it,” he manages to say with a slight stutter, stupidly rejecting the offer, not wanting to be a burden to the handsome man.

“Are you sure?” The stranger asks again, hand already grasping the door handle to push it open.

“Uh,” Jaemin pauses. He obviously really needed some assistance, and he figured that Key really needed his coffee asap, so he gives a sheepish smile and accepts the offer. “Well actually, if you could just open the door and flag a cab for me that’ll be great.”

The man chuckles lowly and easily pushes the door open with a soft _sure_ , jogging down to the side walk and effortlessly flagging a cab within seconds. He jogs back to where Jaemin is and grins, holding the door open with his foot.

“Here, I’ll take that for you.”

“Oh no it’s –“ Jaemin doesn’t even get to protest when the other lifts the coffees from his grasp and takes the heavy bags in his hands. The stranger smiles at him again and Jaemin almost wants to sock him in the face for being so nice and handsome.

“After you.” He gestures, allowing the intern to walk ahead of him towards the waiting cab. He helps Jaemin load his things into the car, carefully returning the coffees to him afterwards.

“Thank you, for your help. I really appreciate it.” Jaemin says gratefully before entering the vehicle, and the other gives him another smile that reaches his eyes.

“It’s no problem. I’m Jeno, by the way.”

“Oh,” Jaemin responds, not expecting the stranger to give him his name. But he returns the gesture anyways. “I’m Jaemin.”

“Nice meeting you, Jaemin. Get back safe!”

Jaemin awkwardly laughs and thanks the other once more, shutting the cab door close and the vehicle drives away almost immediately.

Meanwhile, Jeno’s eyes trail after the yellow car before it turns at the junction and disappears from his sight. He huffs and blows a hair out of his face, feeling slightly down that the cute stranger didn’t recognise who he was, but he supposes it wasn’t such a huge deal. He turns back into the café but stops halfway, literally face palming himself for forgetting to ask for the boy’s number.

 _Goddamn it, Lee Jeno, you’re so stupid_. He curses himself for letting such an attractive person slip through his fingers.

He just hopes that fate decides to be good to him and allow him to meet Jaemin once more.

-

Jaemin would be lying if he said he didn’t think about Jeno after their encounter. Honestly, he spent his entire cab ride back just thinking about whether he should’ve asked for the other’s number, but a handsome lad like him might already be in a relationship. Is he even into boys in the first place?

The intern sighs, shaking his head in hopes of getting Jeno’s stupidly handsome face out of his mind. He wasn’t supposed to have any distractions anyways.

But who was he kidding? Every tall blond boy he caught sight of for the rest of the week, Jaemin found his breath hitching and takes a second look, mentally slapping himself when he didn’t find who he was looking for.

_Stop thinking about him, Na Jaemin. You have more important things to do._

-

The third week of his internship soon comes around, and Jaemin was all jittery for he would be getting the chance to experience his first two shoots at Grazia, thoughts of the handsome blond he met the other day already pushed so far in the back of his mind. Later on that day would be a small shoot with a hand model, and Irene had requested for his assistance as Key was all caught up in preparations for the other shoot that would be happening on the coming Thursday.

It wasn’t much to be honest, but Jaemin was still thoroughly in awe throughout the shoot. Irene even allowed him to style a few of the accessories, and the intern was slightly shaking as he daintily put on the luxurious watch for the model.

“Are all models always like that?” The intern asks when the shoot is over, grumbling a little while packing up the accessories.

“Like what?”

“Arrogant and rude?” He says with a quirk of his brow. Though Jaemin did have a good time, his impression on the hand model was fairly negative. She treated him like some sort of slave just because he is an intern, constantly ordering him around and shouting at him unnecessarily. Thankfully Jaemin had mastered the art of concealing his annoyed demeanour throughout the shoot, not wanting to get a complaint for being unprofessional. “She was so mean to me, and she’s only a hand model.”

Irene giggles and pats the intern on his head. “Not all models are like that of course, there are some who are very humble.”

“Why didn’t we work with those models then.” Jaemin mumbles under his breath and the older woman laughs again.

“We have no choice, she’s good at what she does and she has a really pretty hand, well in comparison to her personality obviously.”

Jaemin huffs, scoffing slightly. He hopes that the model on the Thursday shoot wouldn’t be such a bitch.

“I don’t like her either, and honestly, I laughed when her manager told her to shut up.” Irene added with a light scoff of her own. “Come on, let’s go find Key and we’ll go over the preparations for the next shoot.”

The intern hums in response, handing over the box of already kept accessories.

“You can even help pick out some shoes!” And Jaemin grins.

-

On the morning of the shoot itself, Jaemin finds himself constantly trailing after Key with his notepad, running around the much larger studio in the building like a mad man. It was a brand-new kind of mess – last minute steaming of clothes, setting up of lighting and makeup piling on the tables.

The model is set to come in a little past noon, and the shoot would begin as soon as he was in his first outfit. Jaemin was unable to catch the model’s name from the stylists, but heard that it is a fresh new face and he is very good looking.

The intern was just about done double checking all the clothes when the model’s arrival was announced. He straightens himself out, skipping over next to Irene, and when he finally manages to take a good look at who the model is, Jaemin chokes on his own spit.

It was Jeno, the same handsome blond who helped him at Starbucks the week prior, and the intern was clearly unable to grasp the fact that he is the model they’ll be shooting that day, mouth slightly agape as he watches the other greet everyone with numerous bows.

It seems that fate was playing a dangerous game, because when they finally make eye contact, Jaemin feels a weird fluttering feeling in his stomach.

Jeno was shocked, but in a positive way. The cute brunette that was constantly on his mind since their first encounter was right in front of his eyes, at his first magazine photoshoot with Grazia. He gives him a smile when they make eye contact, and Jeno internally laughs at the other’s expression, eyes wide and mouth agape like a fish out of water.

“Hello, I’m today’s model Lee Jeno, please take care of me!” He introduces himself with a bow when he steps in front of all the staff, and they all greet him back, majority of the older women cooing at his good looks and well mannerism.

“Hi again Jeno sshi,” Key greets him together with Irene, and the young model bows once more before stretching out his arm to shake their hands. “We’ve met at the casting, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Ah yes, thank you so much for the opportunity.” The blond says with the usual smile that reaches his eyes, and said eyes flitter towards Jaemin who is hiding behind Key’s shoulder.

“Oh! This is Na Jaemin!” Irene unfortunately busts the intern from his hiding place, guiding him forward to meet the model, and Jaemin begrudgingly complies, hoping he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself. “He’s the styling intern, so he’ll be helping around as well. I think he’s just a few months younger than you are, Jeno.”

“Hi?” Jaemin says, mentally slapping himself for making it sound so hesitant and unsure. He avoids looking at the taller in the eyes, the nervous feeling in his stomach still not backing down from earlier.

The model smirks, leaning down to shake the younger’s hand and hopefully look at him in the eye.

“Nice meeting you, _again_.” He greets, saying the last word a little softer so that only the two of them are able to hear it.

Jaemin clears his throat, eyes still nervously looking around.

“U-uhm, I-I’ll go see if L-Lisa noona needs a-anything.” He stutters out and gives a quick bow before scurrying away to find the makeup artist.

“Well, then.” Key says, breaking the awkward atmosphere with a clap of his hands. “Let’s get started shall we?”

-

Jaemin has been watching the shoot going on from the side lines, trying his best not to bump into the blond model. He had already admitted to himself that Jeno is insanely attractive, but seeing him do his job is something else.

Jaemin could tell that despite being fairly new, Jeno was a natural, he was practically made to be a model. Even the veteran photographer would agree, constantly throwing out compliments at the boy he was shooting. He even notices how much brighter the mood in the studio was in comparison to the shoot they had previously with the problematic hand model.

Jaemin couldn’t deny it, but Lee Jeno is pretty much amazing.

The intern was about to sit down for a short break when Key approaches him a little flustered.

“Hon, I need to run to the office upstairs to get something urgent, and I have no idea where Irene is. So could you head to the third dressing room, find a navy folder and pass it to the photographer?” The stylist requests and Jaemin simply nods in response, already getting up to get the job done. Key thanks him and within seconds he is out the door.

Jaemin titters through the studio, sighing in relief when he doesn’t see the model around, but he immediately re-evaluates his life decisions when he swings the dressing room door open and Lee Jeno is right there, standing in the middle of the room, _shirtless_.

The blond doesn’t even blink when the door opens. After all, he is a model, he was probably already used to others seeing his body. But Jaemin on the other hand, isn’t.

“O-oh shit I am so sorry, I’ll come back later!” Jaemin apologises profusely, trying his best to look away from the older’s toned body. He motions to exit the room and close the door behind him when the model chuckles.

“It’s okay Jaemin-sshi, what do you need?”

Jaemin peers shyly from behind the door, and notices that Jeno had thankfully already put his shirt back on. He shuffles into the room, unable to look up and make eye contact with the model.

“Uhm, is there a navy folder anywhere in here?” He asks, scanning the mess on the table for the folder.

Jeno purses his lips, looking around the room for said object. He successfully finds it sitting innocently on one of the chairs next to him, and leans over to pick it up.

“This?” He lifts the folder for the other to see, and Jaemin’s eyes light up when he sees it.

“Ah yes that’s probably it!” Jaemin exclaims, making his way over to the model’s outstretched hand, taking the folder into his hands. “Thanks.”

Jeno hums in response. “Funny that we’re crossing paths here eh? So I guess the things you were struggling with the other day was for this shoot?”

“Yeah most of it,” Jaemin responds, hugging the folder to his chest and fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “Small world huh.”

The older smiles, unable to keep himself from admiring the intern, and somehow notices a random loose thread sticking on Jaemin’s cheekbone. He stares at the thread for a while, as if it had wrongly tainted the brunette’s perfection.

“You have something on your face,” the blond says, gently picking the thread between his fingers, and Jaemin’s lashes flutter in response. “There.”

He proudly shows the intern the thread, then carelessly throws it somewhere on the ground and gives him that annoying eye smile of his. Jaemin feels as though something got caught up in his throat and he stutters out something incoherent before turning on his heel and exiting the room.

Shortly after Jaemin fulfils his job of delivering the folder to the photographer, the shoot resumes and Jaemin tries to busy himself with other things so that he doesn’t have to look at Jeno, as well as in attempt to get the previous scenario out of his head. He manages to avoid the other’s eyes for a good thirty minutes, but in that one second where he decides to take a breather, Irene goes over to him to deliver a task. A task that involved him having to interact with the model. Again.

"Jaemin could you go fix the brooch on Jeno's shirt, please?" The stylist requests, pulling Jaemin out of his thoughts.

He huffs, silently makes a little prayer, and lets out a soft _sure_ before nervously making his way towards the model who was adjusting his hair in front of the full length mirror.

"Uhm sorry Jeno-sshi I need to uh, fix that..." Jaemin says almost inaudibly, lightly pointing to the crooked brooch on Jeno's shirt.

Jeno simply gives the intern a soft smile through the mirror and turns around, allowing Jaemin to adjust the stubborn brooch on the front of his shirt.

He silently watches the younger with a fixed gaze, and though the model was only slightly taller than he was, Jaemin felt so small.

He makes the mistake of looking up and finds himself staring back into Jeno's deep brown eyes. His breath hitches when they crinkle into perfect crescents, and he quickly averts his gaze back onto the damn brooch. 

"Why won't it come off?!" Jaemin mumbles frustratingly.

Jeno lets out a low chuckle and Jaemin almost goes weak at the knees. His cheeks flush a deep red from how close they are, shaking fingers still fumbling with the brooch.

"Here, let me." Jeno says under his breath, his deep voice sending a chill down Jaemin's spine. He gently removes the younger's fingers from his shirt and Jaemin's fingers tingle with sensation at the physical contact. He watches as Jeno unclips the brooch with one swift movement and he feels ridiculously embarrassed. What kind of stylist could he be if he couldn't even remove a simple brooch? 

"There we go." Jeno says with a smile. He suddenly holds Jaemin's right hand, dropping the brooch in his palm, and the intern freezes. He stares at his hand with his mouth agape and stones for a while until he hears another deep chuckle. 

"Are you alright, Jaemin-sshi?"

"Y-yeah I-" Jaemin clears his throat and mentally slaps himself. "I'm fine." 

He quickly fixes the brooch back on the model's shirt and thanked the heavens that it was pinned on straight in one try. He smoothens out Jeno's shirt out of habit, running his fingers over the older’s silk clad chest, and the model smiles down at him amusingly.

And when Jaemin finally realizes what he was doing, he widens his eyes and pulls back his arms. He mumbles out a soft sorry and bows slightly before scurrying back to his spot on the other side of the studio where Irene was organizing some props. Jeno's eyes follow his every movement and when the intern disappears from his sight, he chuckles once more and shakes his head. 

 _Cute_ , he thinks, hoping to see more of a certain Na Jaemin.

-

The shoot finally ends without Jaemin further embarrassing himself in front of the model, but other than that, the aspiring stylist managed to have a good time. His notepad is almost full from all the notes and tips he had scribbled down, and he is extremely thankful to have been given such an opportunity.

It was a little past eight in the evening, and everyone was busy cleaning up the area. Jaemin was silently organising the clothes back into dust bags when he feels a light tap on his shoulder, and he almost gets whiplash from turning his head so quickly.

“Hey, good job today.” It was Jeno, unsurprisingly. He was back in his casual clothes, face rid of all the makeup from earlier, yet he still looks just as breath taking.

“You did great too.” Jaemin smiles in response, slipping a wooden hanger through a leather jacket.

“This is for you,” the model says, handing him a little chocolate macaron wrapped in a pretty blue plastic. “As a thank you for working hard today.”

Now before we jump to any conclusions, this was something that Jeno liked to do ever since his very first schedule as a model. He would pack snacks or any sort of small gift to give out to everyone who were a part of his shoots, as a sign of gratitude for their hard work. A very thoughtful and sweet boy he is.

“Oh thank you,” the intern mutters, eyeing the dessert. And when Jeno finally leaves the studio after saying a quick goodbye to him and everyone else, Jaemin curses under his breath. How could someone that perfect actually exist? It was as if Jeno had no flaws. He is already insanely good looking, but he is also nice, gentlemanly and thoughtful. How unfair is that?

To say that Jaemin was frustrated would be an understatement.

Later on, during his cab ride back to his dorm, Jaemin is too tired to think about anything. He stares blankly into space, Bruno Mars blasting through his headphones. He feels his stomach suddenly grumble, and he remembers that he barely had a single proper meal that day – skipping lunch for the shoot and only having half a sandwich during their break.

He recalls the macaron that Jeno had given him, and decides that it wouldn’t hurt to have a little snack that late in the evening. He fishes out the little plastic wrapper from his bag and twists the fastener open, hoping the cab driver wouldn’t mind him eating in the car. He pops the chocolate macaron into his mouth, sighing in content when the sweet dessert hits his taste buds and melts in his mouth

Jaemin crumples the wrapper in his palm, motioning to throw it somewhere in his bag, when he notices a slip of paper in the wrapper. He pulls it out, flipping it over and squints at the writing in the dark. He ends up using his phone as a flashlight, and when he realizes what was written on the slip of paper, he freezes.

**_82-XX-XXXX ;)_ **

**_\- Jeno_ **

Jaemin stares at the phone number, unsure of how to react.

 _Shit._ He curses under his breath.

-

For the first time ever in their six years of friendship, Jaemin has never felt so happy to see Donghyuck sitting in their dorm when he comes back. Literally that night, when the intern bursts through their front door, he screams at Donghyuck, shocking the art major.

“Fuck, Nana, I almost messed up my work!” He curses, sighing in relief when his art piece wasn’t damaged. “What’s up with you?”

“Help me, Hyuck, I don’t know what to do.” Jaemin pleads, face planting into his bed.

“I can’t help you when I don’t even know what’s going on, dumb ass.”

“fheno hgafe mphi hfis mnumphbfer.” He responds in despair, words muffled by the sheets.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes, makes his way over to his best friend’s bed and smacks him in the head. “Speak properly!”

Jaemin groans and lifts his head, staring at his best friend with a look of complete and utter desperation. “Jeno gave me his number.”

“What the-“ the tanner male shrieks. He smacks his friend in the head once more, ignoring his complains. “Who is Jeno? Why did he give you his number? And what have you not been telling me?”

The fashion student whines, not wanting to talk about that annoyingly flawless model. But Donghyuck gives him a glare, and quite frankly, Jaemin can’t keep anything from his best friend, so he tells him. He tells him everything – from how they met at Starbucks the other day down till the events that happened at the shoot.

He dramatically sobs when he finishes his story, shaking his best friend and pleading for help.

“Listen, I don’t understand why you’re being all dramatic, Nana.”

Jaemin sulks and the tanner male rolls his eyes again.

“You think he’s attractive, yes?” Donghyuck asks, and the other nods without a thought. “And he easily just gave you his number. So just text him, go on a date, get married, make me your best man, the end. Simple.”

“Nooo,” Jaemin whines for the millionth time, dragging the last note. “You don’t get it, Hyuck, I don’t want to date him. I can’t get distracted by another commitment!”

“So you’re just gonna let this perfectly good opportunity pass?”

“I… I can ask him to wait?”

Donghyuck scoffs, shoving his best friend in the shoulder, and Jaemin falls backwards on his bed. “Love won’t wait for you, Nana, you gotta grab it when it’s right there!”

“Love is a strong word, Hyuck, don’t use it recklessly.”

“Whatever, but if you’re really gonna let him go just like that, I’m dropping your ass.” The art major playfully threatens, and he glares at the other for good measure. “I’m not asking you to date him straight away, Nana, but just give him a chance. Stop worrying so much and relax a little bit. You’ll be fine, just go with the flow.”

“Fine,” Jaemin huffs after thinking about it for a few moments. “But I’m just going to be friends with him first.”

“Wow, I’d pay to see you try to be _just friends_ with a handsome model without jumping him.” Donghyuck jokes, and the fashion student curses when his best friend manages to avoid the pillow that flies to his face.

-

Jeno sits cross legged on his bed, staring at his phone. It’s been three days, and that cute intern at Grazia still has yet to drop him a text.

_Did I make the wrong move? Was I too fast? What if he didn’t see the paper and just threw the plastic away? What if he already has a boyfriend? Oh my God Lee Jeno you’re being stupid again!_

The model lets out a groan of despair and flings himself back onto his bed, kicking his feet up like a child. It was a sight to see honestly – if you were to compare his photoshoots and the way he was acting now, you wouldn’t believe it’s the same person. Rookie model Lee Jeno getting all worked up over a pretty little styling intern that he only just met. How adorable.

Said model jumps when he hears a ding from his phone, and he scampers around the sheets looking for the device. He excitedly unlocks the screen in anticipation, but his face falls and his hopes are crushed when he is instead faced with a text from his cousin asking him if he wanted dinner.

Jeno pouts and childishly replies Jaehyun with a no and a bratty emoji, letting out another groan before burying his face in a pillow.

-

It’s been a little over three weeks since the shoot, and Jaemin still hasn’t texted Jeno. Though he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it. His finger constantly hovers over the contact in his phone many times in a single day, but he backs out in the last minute. Besides, he’s been far too busy going on more clothing runs, preparing for more shoots and learning new things. He’s been telling himself that his busy schedule was in the way, but honestly, he’s just being a coward.

But fate decides to play a second round of the same dangerous game, and Jaemin finds himself staring straight at Jeno’s face on a Tuesday morning in the office. The two could only manage to give each other an awkward smile before the model is whisked away by the magazine’s editor-in-chief into a meeting room.

Jaemin was curious. They’ve been in that meeting room for a little over three hours now, and though Key and Irene would most likely spill the news to him later on, he wants to know what they’ve been discussing about right now. And it obviously isn’t because Jeno is involved in it. Psh, definitely not.

Which is why he tiptoes over to Wendy who is typing away at her desk, hoping that as the editor’s assistant, she would have a little insider’s information on what was going on.

“I think they’re planning on doing some sort of campaign shoot with that blond kid,” Wendy tells him without any hesitation. “He’s really good and he’s getting popular real quick too. Heard they’re even gonna put him on the cover for September’s issue.”

And Irene tells him the exact same thing as Wendy did later on that day, except she forgot to add in the part where Jaemin would be seeing the model around the office almost every single day for the next two weeks.

“So you didn’t exactly text me.” Jeno meekly says out of the blue when they’re stuck in the lift together after the editor-in-chief had sent the intern down to accompany the model to get lunch.

 _Geez, why couldn’t he have gone on his own or with his manager._ Jaemin complains under his breath when he was told what to do.

“Oh uhm, about that,” the intern pauses mid-sentence, wrecking his brain to find an excuse that wouldn’t make him seem like a complete asshole or a plain loser.

“Listen, I get it if you aren’t interested, or if you already have someone else but –“

“No!” Jaemin cuts him off a little too loudly, and he is kind of grateful that they were the only ones in the elevator. “I mean yes! Wait, no!”

“What?”

“I-I… I m-mean,” he stutters, cowering under the older’s gaze. He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and decides to relax a little, courtesy of his best friend’s words. “I’m not seeing anyone. And trust me when I say I was really going to text you, I just didn’t know what to say.”

There is an awkward silence and Jaemin is just wondering why on earth they still have yet to reach the ground floor. Slow ass elevator.

“You didn’t know what to say for three weeks?” The model says, breaking the quiet atmosphere.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to this.”

Jeno doesn’t respond, hands stuffed in his pockets as he stares at the floor. And Jaemin honestly just wants to call maintenance and nicely ask them why the elevator was being exceptionally slow in that exact time of day.

“We can just be friends first?” The intern suggests hopefully, and the model gives him an assuring smile in return when they finally reach the ground floor and the elevator door opens.

“Sure, if that’s what you prefer.” Jeno says, and Jaemin feels as though a burden has been lifted off his shoulders.

-

It was nice, being friends with Jeno. Sure their friendship isn’t like Jaemin’s and Donghyuck’s, but having a friend like the model was nice. They did learn a few personal things about each other, their past experiences, education, how they got to where they are now etc. And Jaemin also learns that Jeno, though quite unbelievably, has an almost perfect reputation. No scandals, no rumours, nothing. Sure there were the occasional rude comments from netizens but those were inevitable. People loved the rookie model, constantly gushing over his insane looks and politeness. He’s practically unreal, and Jaemin hates that with passion. Or does he?

(Though he would admit, having Jeno around the office a lot wasn’t good for his health. It just made Jaemin even more frustrated than he thought.)

Jeno is very sweet and gentlemanly, the whole world would agree. Though despite his obvious interest in the younger, he has been really respectful of Jaemin’s space, not wanting to rush things and make him feel uncomfortable, and the intern is really grateful for that.

And though it has been established that Jeno is generally a sweetheart to everyone, Jaemin couldn’t help but feel flustered every time Jeno goes out of his way to do a nice gesture for him. Things like buying him food and coffee when things got hectic at the office, even getting him some vitamin C so he wouldn’t fall sick.

But what made Jaemin want to jump off a building the most was his texts.

Jeno would send him words of encouragement whenever he felt tired or demoralised, and it was as if the older was some sort of psychic, but his messages would actually make Jaemin feel a lot better. Though of course, he wouldn’t openly admit that. Sometimes he would find himself sending the same kind of messages to the model as well, and they would frequently end up texting each other till late in the night. To which, Jaemin would slap himself whenever he felt himself growing weaker and weaker from Jeno’s words.

Clearly, Jaemin was having a pretty hard time trying to concentrate on his job rather than the painfully handsome and caring model that he calls his _friend._

It had even come to a point where Jaemin would purposely make himself busy, constantly looking for things to do, so that he wouldn’t be around the office to see Jeno’s stupid face, and Donghyuck would laugh at his misery.

But what could he do? He really didn’t want to risk the chances of their however possible relationship getting in the way of their jobs.

-

It was the first day of their three-day shoot, and also the last three days of Jeno hanging around the office for the campaign. As per usual, the studio is a mess, but Jaemin is already used to it, calmly helping around and double checking everything. This time though, he actually helped out with the styling, picking out some looks that the model would wear for the shoot.

And quite frankly, he had a hard time doing so because Jeno looked good in everything. No lie.

The shoot starts off a little past one in the afternoon with no hiccups, the clothes looking great and the pictures coming out nicely. Everyone was having a good time, even Key didn’t seem to be rushing around like a mad man like he always does.

Jaemin watches the shoot from the side as usual, only moving from his spot when he was needed. He would often catch Jeno looking at him and shooting him cheeky smiles even while the shoot was ongoing, and the intern would give him a glare, telling him to focus.

He couldn’t help but bite his lips in attempt to stop a smile of his own from creeping up though, shaking his head when Jeno still continued to discreetly eye him mid-shoot.

The shoot carries on as smoothly as it started, and before they knew it, they were already down to the last look for the day. It was starting to get pretty late, and as enjoyable as the shoot is, everyone is noticeably getting tired.

Jaemin knocks at the door of Jeno’s dressing room, obviously not wanting a repeat episode of their previous shoot. The model shouts out a _come in!_ and the intern slides into the room.

“Hey.” The older greets him, tearing his gaze away from the mirror momentarily to shoot him a little smile.

“Hey.” Jaemin responds, dragging his feet to where the model is. “Just making sure the outfit’s okay on you.”

“Oh you styled this?” The model asks, gesturing towards his outfit. Jaemin hums and nods his head, seemingly proud at how the outfit he assembled relatively last minute turned out. It was a little on the laid back side, but Jeno still managed to look like some sort of Disney prince – the flowy off white tunic hanging from his upper body complimenting his skin nicely and the embellished shorts showing off his long muscular legs.

“Here, let me help you with that.” Jaemin offers when he notices the older fumbling with the weirdly arranged lace ups of the tunic. He internally laughs at Jeno’s frustrated face and his nimble fingers thread the strings through the holes easily.

For brief moment, Jaemin feels like those wives who help their husbands with their neckties, but he quickly brushes off the ridiculous thought.

Jeno watches the younger adjust his outfit, cooing internally at the way his brows furrow in concentration. They are the only two in the changing room, and it is kind of the first time that they were standing that close to each other voluntarily. (The adjusting of the brooch at the previous shoot did not count!)

There is little to no space in between their bodies, but Jeno doesn’t want to think too much about it, opting to admire the other’s pretty face up close instead and trying his best to ignore the countless butterflies messing with his stomach.

He doesn’t even know how long he’s been staring at Jaemin’s face, it feels as though time had stopped around them.

Jaemin, on the other hand, is well aware of the older’s fixed gaze on him, but puts his entire focus on the laces of the shirt. He can literally hear the other’s breathing, and he does his utmost best to concentrate.

He doesn’t learn his lesson though, for when he’s successfully arranged the strings to his liking, he once again makes the mistake of looking straight into Jeno’s eyes. This time, he feels a weird attraction to it, unable to pull away like the last time, so they stare into each other’s eyes for what seems like an eternity.

They didn’t know how it happened, honestly, or who initiated it. But all of a sudden, Jeno’s lips are on his, and Jaemin doesn’t even make a move to push him away. Instead he melts into the kiss, hands clutching the front of the older’s once crisp ironed shirt. They stay like that for a little while, until Jaemin unexpectedly moves his lips against the other’s. He winds his arms around the older’s neck, sighing when Jeno’s arms do the same around his waist.

 Jaemin doesn’t know what is happening. He wants to break away from the kiss, but his brain can’t seem to function. Instead his body does the exact opposite, and he lets out an involuntary whine as he kisses him back, even pulling at the older’s bottom lip with his teeth.

It happens so fast.

They are so into the kiss that Jeno forgets the boundaries that he once set for himself, giving in to temptation. The adrenaline rush making him lean forward, and Jaemin stumbles backwards, his back hitting the edge of the vanity table. Jeno tightens his hold around the younger, Jaemin’s hands leaving his neck and grasping the table for support. He hears the clank of the hairspray bottle as it drops to the floor, and the makeup brushes scattering all over the place. But the brunette pays them no mind, too focused on the feeling of Jeno’s lips on his.

A series of knocks come at the door, accompanied by a shout of _two minutes!_ from Key, and the two break apart with a gasp.

“ _Shit_ ,” the model curses under his breath and gives a little holler to reply the stylist. “Got it!”

Jaemin is beyond shocked. He stones in his position, back leaning against the table and knuckles turned white from grasping it too hard. He doesn’t even realise that Jeno’s arms are no longer around his waist, and he watches with wide eyes as the older attempts to straighten himself out.

The younger gulps and lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and Jeno looks at him with an unreadable expression. He parts his lips to say something, but there is another knock at the door.

_“Need you now, Jeno sshi!”_

“Okay!” He shouts back a little annoyed, and his eyes constantly flitter between the door and Jaemin’s doe ones.

“Go.” The younger says, voice slightly cracking, and Jeno gives him another look before rushing out the door.

As soon as the model is out of his sight, Jaemin slides down to the floor and buries his face in his hands.

_What have I done?_

-

When the shoot is over, Jeno doesn’t see Jaemin anywhere. He lurks outside his dressing room while everyone packs up the studio, hoping to see a certain brunette, but even as the last person leaves the room, he doesn’t catch a single glimpse of the intern.

The model manages to catch Key in the carpark though, and asks the stylist about the younger, trying his best not to make it seem obvious that he is kind of worried.

“Oh he rushed off right before your last set, said it was an emergency.” The older explains, and Jeno thanks him before making his way to his own car.

Okay, now he has every reason to be _really_ worried.


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jaemin has zero (0) self control, and maybe things just got a little more complicated.

**from: Jeno**  
 _ **hey can we talk?**_  
  
**from: Jeno**  
 _ **jaemin please**_  
  
**from: Jeno**  
 _ **please don’t ignore me**_  
  
**from: Jeno**  
 _ **I’m really sorry**_  
  
**from: Jeno**  
 **:(**  
  
**from: Jeno**  
 _ **okay I’ll see you tomorrow**_  
  
**from: Jeno**  
 ** _rest well_**  
  
Jaemin sits in the corner of his bed, all wrapped up in his bed sheets and ignoring every single notification that blows up on his phone.  
  
He stares blankly into space, still in his day clothes, unable to recover from the shock caused by what happened earlier in the dressing room. His heart starts to palpitate just from thinking about the kiss, and he doesn’t want to admit how much he actually likes it. He likes how Jeno’s lips felt on his. He likes how he makes him feel. And he so desperately wants to give in.  
  
But he can’t. He just can’t seem to stop thinking about what would happen in the future. The consequences. The commitment.  
  
Especially not when he has yet to achieve what he’s been working so hard for.  
  
_Fuck these damn feelings_ , Jaemin decides. He isn’t going to let himself easily go soft in front of the other, no matter how lovingly Jeno looks at him. No matter how much his heart yearns for him, he isn’t going to give in.  
  
But your mind and your heart will never be on the same page.  
  
-  
  
Jaemin forcefully drags himself into the studio for the second day of the shoot. It’s not like he is suddenly dreading his job and not wanting to do the shoot - it’s just Jeno. He simply does not have the energy nor the mental capacity to face the other. Though he left work early the night before because of a supposed “emergency”, the intern was up all night till past four in the morning, thinking.  
  
Or rather, overthinking.  
  
He thought about everything – his job, his dreams, Jeno, his feelings, his insecurities and even other topics that weren’t even relevant to his situation. ~~Like why are we always either overwhelmed or underwhelmed? Are we ever just whelmed?~~  
  
That aside, he thanks the heavens that the shoot would be short that day, and everything was already planned out smoothly. He gets frustrated though, because everywhere he turned, Jeno would be right there staring back at him with a kind of look he couldn’t explain. No matter how much he tried to avoid the model, he couldn’t. He was everywhere, and Jaemin too had to be everywhere. It felt pretty suffocating, images of what happened the day before constantly popping up in his mind whenever he caught a glimpse of the blond.  
  
He surprisingly manages to avoid all physical contact with Jeno for the rest of the day, mainly Key and Irene attending to him majority of the time. Jaemin only stands around in case he is needed, and sticks to the makeup artists pretending to be interested in eyeshadows and pigments.  
  
(Though his heart falters a little every time he avoids Jeno and there is a noticeable crestfallen look on his face, and Jaemin feels slightly, just slightly guilty.)  
  
Jeno gets it. He made a mistake. He crossed the line and didn’t even hold himself back when he kissed Jaemin, forgetting that he agreed to respect the other’s personal space. But it just felt so right in that moment, and to be fairly honest, he doesn’t regret it.  
  
Even though his heart breaks every time he tries to talk to him or even just look at him and the younger pretends he doesn’t exist, he feels a little reassured that Jaemin at least feels something for him, somewhat.  
  
But round three of fate playing it’s favourite game commences, and Jeno finally manages to corner the younger when everyone is gone, trapping him between himself and the wall next to the clothing racks.  
  
“I need to go, Jeno.” The younger says, trying to squeeze out of Jeno’s grasp, but the blond model doesn’t let him.  
  
“Please,” he pleads, looking as though he is about to cry. “Just listen.”  
  
Jaemin looks at the floor and doesn’t answer, but Jeno doesn’t know what to say. The words he had previously planned to say are suddenly a jumbled mess in his mind at the sight of the brunette.  
  
“Look,” the intern suddenly clears his throat, obviously uncomfortable with the awkward silence. “Whatever happened yesterday –“  
  
“Let’s just pretend it never happened.” Jeno blurts out, cutting him off. He doesn’t know why he even said that - a typical line in the book. And he wants to slap himself when Jaemin looks up at him with an unreadable expression.  
  
“Yeah,” the younger gulps. “Let’s do that.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“And go back to being friends.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Yeah.” It comes out as a whisper, and for some damn reason, they’re still in that position by the wall, staring at each other no matter how fully aware they are that it would lead to something that they would regret.  
  
_Shit he looks so good in that shirt. And he smells really good too.  
  
No no no. No fucking way, Na Jaemin, don’t do this again.  
  
Ugh but his eyes. And his lips.  
  
Jesus Christ, Na Jaemin, stop it. Don’t._  
  
The brunette argues with himself in his head, and he hopes in hell that he’s fucking dreaming, because his itchy hands decide that it would be a good idea to pull Jeno down and kiss him.  
  
_What the actual fuck_ , he scolds himself, but he can’t seem to stop, his fingers having minds of their own and threading through Jeno’s blond locks.  
  
Jeno is thoroughly shocked, but he doesn’t complain. Besides, he doesn’t reject the idea of kissing the younger, despite the conversation they literally just had. He just hopes it isn’t going to be a regular thing – ignoring each other’s presence when others are around but being unable to keep their hands off each other when they’re alone.  
  
Eh, he’ll deal with the consequences later.  
  
He’s much too preoccupied with how good the younger tastes.  
  
-  
  
“What happened to just being friends?” Jeno playfully asks later that night, when they’re making out in the backseat of his car right outside of Jaemin’s college dorm.  
  
The younger rolls his eyes and scoffs, adjusting his position on Jeno’s lap and jabbing him in the chest with his finger. The older simply smirks at the attempted assault, hands caressing the other’s sides.  
  
“How can we be just friends when you look like this?” Jaemin complains with a pout, running his hand through the other’s hair as if to emphasise his point.  
  
Jeno tsks, acting affected, but doesn’t say a word more. Instead he captures Jaemin’s pout with his lips once more, smiling through the kiss when the brunette giggles and kisses him back, allowing himself to drown in Jeno’s undying affection.  
  
Jaemin goes to bed that night with a smile on his face and a fluttering feeling in his chest. And on the other side of Seoul, Jeno does the same.  
  
-  
  
The next morning, Jaemin literally jumps out of bed, and Donghyuck wonders if his best friend is on some sort of drug. The intern makes his way to work with a skip in his step, but halts when he sees a familiar white Audi parked at the front gate of his dorm.  
  
He tries not to squeal when he sees Jeno leaning against said car in casual clothes with the usual cap and shades get-up, mentally thanking the heavens that it was still too early in the morning for any other student in his college to be around.  
  
The two share a few hushed kisses in the carpark of the company building later on, and no one questions when they enter the studio together a few minutes to nine in the morning.  
  
“Mhm, we should stop before Key hyung or Irene noona or anyone else walks in.” Jaemin protests as Jeno is pressing his lips onto every inch of Jaemin’s neck in the dressing room. Yes, _that_ dressing room.  
  
“I locked the door when you came in earlier.” The model says with a smirk and pecks the younger’s lips again.  
  
Jaemin gasps and playfully slaps the other in the shoulder. “You sly dog!”  
  
Jeno throws his head back and laughs, and the intern finds himself throwing out a few giggles of his own as well. He hums and gives a bittersweet smile when the older stops laughing to let out a little yawn, eyes glistening slightly with tears.  
  
“Don’t worry, it’s the last day,” Jaemin reassures as he adjusts the model’s hair, pushing away the strands from poking at his eyes. “Get lots of rest afterwards, okay?”  
  
The blond nods in response and lets out another yawn before giving the other a grateful smile. He hooks his two fingers under Jaemin’s chin and gives him another kiss as if to say thank you.  
  
“I will when you will.” He says, and the younger rolls his eyes.  
  
“I still have to come in to the office tomorrow, Jeno. I happen to like my job, and I don’t have much of a choice.”  
  
“I know, but you’ve worked really hard too. You should rest up as well.” The model argues, motioning to the designer bags under the younger’s eyes.  
  
“I will over the weekends. Now go do your job, mister model! The photographer’s waiting.” Jaemin exclaims, prying the other off him, but Jeno clings onto him like an octopus.  
  
“Fine. But one more kiss!” He bargains, pouting when the brunette shakes his head.  
  
“No.”  
  
“Please?”  
  
_I can’t believe he’s actually whining_ , Jaemin says in his head. He cheekily presses his lips onto his fingers and slaps them on Jeno’s cheek as a pathetic excuse of a kiss.  
  
“There. Now go before we both get fired.”  
  
The model fakes a hurt expression and reluctantly lets go of the younger before finally getting out of the room for the shoot.  
  
“Fine, but I better get that kiss when we’re done!”  
  
“Yeah yeah~”  
  
-  
  
“Hey, remember to take a video of Jeno for the five-word interview for Instagram.” Key reminds the intern as they watch the ongoing shoot from the side.  
  
“Oh yeah,” he notes and whips out his phone from his back pocket when the photographer motions for a five minute break. “I’ll do it now then!”  
  
The head stylist hums and takes a sip of his coffee, watching the intern make his way towards the model on set. He eyes them for a while, brows raising when the giggles and lingering touches go unnoticed.  
  
He sees the way they look at each other, eyes filled with so much love and adoration, and he smiles sadly, knowing full well that whatever it is that they have going on with each other, it was not going to end up too well.  
  
It was based on his own experience, after all.  
  
-  
  
That night, Jaemin and Jeno sit facing each other at the restaurant where they are having a celebratory dinner together with the rest of the staff involved with the shoot. They playfully nudge each other’s legs under the table like children, and glare at each other afterwards when one of them almost spills their drink.  
  
It was cute, honestly. And everyone else was either too tired or too preoccupied with food and conversations to notice their playfulness.  
  
Well, except one person, who has been discreetly eyeing them since that afternoon.  
  
“Jaemin, can I talk to you for a sec?” Key asks when they’re about to leave the restaurant. Jeno had offered to share a cab ride home together for they had a few drinks earlier, and the model was still handling the bill, so the intern was waiting for him outside when the stylist approached him.  
  
“Yeah sure, hyung.”  
  
Key smiles, patting the younger’s shoulder. “First of all, you did great these past few weeks, I’m really proud of you.”  
  
Jaemin grins happily and mutters out a sincere thanks at the compliment.  
  
“Secondly, I know it’s not my business but, I see that you and Jeno have gotten pretty close.”  
  
“Oh,” Jaemin’s face falters a little, but he keeps his smile. “Yeah we’re kind of friends, somewhat.”

 _He really didn’t know how to label it._  
  
“Listen, I know there’s something more than that between the both of you, and I don’t want to pry, but before it gets too deep, be careful okay? You’re a sweet boy, I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”  
  
“W-what do you m-mean?” The younger stutters out, taken aback by the older’s sudden words of advice. “We’re just friends, there’s nothing else to it.”  
  
Key sighs, and it sounded a little more sad than it intended to be. He continues in a hushed voice. “You can deny it if you want, but whatever it is that you two have going on, it’s going to be hard. Especially with how popular Jeno is getting. This industry isn’t good for a relationship.”  
  
Jaemin’s heart skips a beat at the word relationship. Honestly, though it has only been a day, but ever since they kissed, they didn’t say anything about it afterwards. There was no confession of feelings, nor a reassurance of what their _relationship_ had become.  
  
They are just two people who are attracted to each other. That is all that Jaemin could make out of their situation.  
  
“I’ll be fine hyung, it’s okay,” he assures the stylist, giving him the benefit of the doubt.  
  
“Jeno can’t even hurt a fly.” He tries to joke.  
  
“You’ll never know, Jaemin ah. This industry can change people, even the kindest of hearts.”  
  
Jaemin quirks a brow and frowns. “What makes you say that?”  
  
“Well I-“ Key doesn’t even get to answer when the restaurant door chimes open and Jeno steps out, scanning the area and smiling when he sees Jaemin at the side.  
  
“Hey, ready to go?” He asks when he approaches the two, not forgetting to greet the older stylist.  
  
“Oh uhm,” Jaemin looks between the two, and Key gestures for him to go ahead.  
  
“You boys go home and get some rest, I’ll see you at one tomorrow, Jaemin ah. Good work today!” The stylist says, giving them a quick wave and jogging over to where Irene is on the other side of the street. The two younger boys give him a bow in response, wishing him a safe journey home before turning around and strolling towards the main road.  
  
“Why one? Don’t you clock in at nine?” The model asks, dunking his hands in his pockets and shivering slightly at the chilling night breeze.  
  
“He gave me the morning off since it’s already getting late.” Jaemin explains.  
  
“Oh that’s nice. Well if that’s the case,” the model pauses for a while, unsure if he should go forth with his question. But he feels this sudden gush of confidence, probably from the alcohol, and decides to just go with it.  
  
“Do you maybe wanna stay the night? It is pretty late and my house is closer to the office than your dorm is.”  
  
Jaemin’s breath hitches and he almost stops in his tracks at the older’s request. He doesn’t know how to respond. He would say yes because it was technically more practical for him to do so, but Key’s words from earlier were ringing oh so loudly in the back of his head, and all he felt in that moment was confusion and hesitation.  
  
Jeno could sense the younger’s uneasiness, and he wants to smack himself in the face for even thinking about asking him such a question.  
  
“I’m sorry. I crossed the line, I shouldn’t have asked you that,” he quickly apologises, feeling utter remorse. “I’ll take you home. I mean, your dorm.”  
  
Jaemin lets out a shaky breath, looking down at his shuffling feet.  
  
“It’s okay. You’re just tired.” He manages to say. “I’m sorry, too, though.”  
  
“No no, it’s my fault. I was being ridiculous, I’m really sorry.”  
  
The ride back to Jaemin’s dorm was painfully quiet, with the two staring out the window into the night sky instead of talking to each other. There was even an awkward space between them, hands resting side by side on the seat, yet they were an inch apart. And in that moment, Jeno knew just how much he fucked up.  
  
They make it to Jaemin’s dorm after close to an hour of complete silence, and Jeno asks the taxi driver to wait while he walks the younger to his door despite his protests. They walk side by side towards the building and up the stairs to the second floor. Jaemin halts when he reaches his dorm room, digging his bag for his keys, but he doesn’t unlock the door immediately. He turns around and faces the older, whose eyes were threatening to close.  
  
“Thanks for sending me back.” He says with his voice lowered, and Jeno smiles through his tired eyes.  
  
“It’s no problem. Rest well.”  
  
“You too.” The younger motions to turn around and unlock his door when he hears Jeno clear his throat, and he looks up at him questionably.  
  
“I’m sorry, again, for earlier. I was out of line.” He apologises once more, and Jaemin could hear how his voice was laced with so much regret and sincerity.  
  
“Hey, it’s alright yeah? Stop apologising, you were just looking out for me, I understand.” The brunette reassures the other, softly grasping his shoulder to make him feel better.  
  
“But I made you uncomfortable, and I didn’t mean to do that.” Jeno says sadly, and he looks like he is about to cry.  
  
“No no, it’s fine, I forgive you.” Jaemin responds, giving the other a little smile. “Now stop beating yourself up and go home. It’s getting really late.”  
  
The model nods, and he motions to turn around and get back to the awaiting cab but he continuously hesitates. “U-uhm, yeah, b-bye, Jaemin.”  
  
The younger giggles under his breath at the other’s antics and shakes his head. He shuffles closer to Jeno’s form and gently places his right hand on the other’s cheek, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.  
  
“Goodnight, Jeno.” He whispers out between their lips. Jeno gives him a little smile and looks into his eyes from between his lashes.  
  
“Goodnight.”  
  
-  
  
  
It’s been about a week or two since that incident happened, and Jaemin was starting to get a little uneasy. Well mainly because he can literally feel himself falling deeper and deeper into a bottomless pit you would call love, but of course, love is a strong word. He shouldn’t be using it so recklessly.  
  
But with all the time that he has been spending with Jeno, how can he not feel uneasy? Even when they aren’t seeing each other, they’re constantly texting, having each other on their minds.  
  
They’ve even met outside for meals and movies over the weekends. Though Jaemin wouldn’t exactly call them dates. Jeno never actually mentioned it anyways.

To be frank, Jaemin himself doesn’t even know what to call their relationship anymore. Are they friends? Or are they dating? Friends with benefits? Boyfriends? Or just friends who make out often?  
  
It was all too confusing. The intern couldn’t even find it in himself to ask Jeno about it, and even the model never brought it up.  
  
But he guesses that it was a good thing, in a sense. Their relationship not being established technically means that there isn’t any commitment to deal with right?  
  
Or is he wrong to think that?  
  
-  
  
“Jaehyun hyung.” Jeno calls out to his cousin from across the couch. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and the two miraculously had no schedule that day, which automatically calls for a netflix series marathon in their penthouse.  
  
The actor hums in response, taking a bite of his chocolate bar.  
  
“I think I’m in love with him.”  
  
Jaehyun almost chokes on his chocolate, quickly swallowing the confectionary before taking a gulp of water. He stares at his cousin wide eyed, jaw slightly unhinged.  
  
“What?!”  
  
Jeno sighs and looks down on his lap where his fingers are picking at the loose threads of his ripped jeans before repeating himself.  
  
“I think I’m in love with him.” He mumbles out, but Jaehyun hears him clearly this time and the older sits up straight to shut off the television.  
  
“In love with who?”  
  
“Jaemin. That intern at Grazia I told you about.” Jeno explains, his heart skipping a beat when the younger’s name slips out of his mouth.  
  
“Well shit.” The actor curses, and the model looks up at him worryingly with a questioning frown. “Uhm, how does he feel about you though?”  
  
“He –“ Jeno pauses, unsure of how to explain to his cousin about their situation. “Well, it’s complicated.”  
  
Jaehyun snorts. “You sound like a troubled sixteen year old girl. But please, carry on.”  
  
“We’ve kissed a couple of times. Actually, a lot. And we’ve hung out too but I don’t think those were dates?”  
  
“Did you specifically ask him to go on a date with you?” The older asks.  
  
“Err… Not really?” Jeno answers, unsure, and Jaehyun rolls his eyes.  
  
“Damn it Lee Jeno are you sure you’re my cousin? You have absolutely no game, what’s up with you?”  
  
“I’m just trying to be careful okay!” The model exclaims defensively. “I know he’s attracted to me, because then why would he kiss me if he isn’t. But I can tell that he’s scared, and I don’t want to force him. But hyung, I am so confused!”  
  
“Just tell him how you feel, Jeno yah.”

The younger male shakes his head and sulks slightly at the suggestion. “I can’t, I’ll scare him away.”

“Damn, this is some teenage drama going on.” Jaehyun jokes. “Is this how youngsters get together these days?”

Jeno ignores his cousin’s bad attempt to lighten the mood and blows a raspberry with his lips. “I just don't want to lose him before even having him.”

Jaehyun stays quiet, unsure of what to say.

“What if in the end, he doesn't feel the same way? What if he's only attracted to me for my looks? I don't want to break his heart but I don't want mine to be broken either, hyung.” The younger rambles, and he sounds so helpless that even Jaehyun has never seen him in such a state. And over a guy at that.

The older sighs and scoots closer to his cousin. He gives him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder, smiling gently when the blond looks up at him with pleading eyes.  
  
“If you can, ask him where you stand in his life. What exactly your relationship is. Otherwise, just be patient. Just keep being sweet to him and let him know that he can trust you. He’ll come around eventually.”

“What if he doesn't?” Jeno asks meekly with such a vulnerable look that Jaehyun feels slightly nostalgic. The actor simply smiles in response and gives the younger’s shoulder another squeeze.

“I’m sure he will.”

-

It was a Friday evening of a very slow week at Grazia. As much as Jaemin wanted to make the most out of his internship and do as many things as he could, he was quite thankful for the lack of activity.

It gave him some time to think, actually. He hasn't seen Jeno in person since they had lunch together on Monday, but they have been texting and facetiming each other of course.

He recalls giggling like a schoolgirl under the duvets just last night as they were video calling, earning a bunch of complaints from Donghyuck, to whom he told that he was just watching something funny.

That's right. Na Jaemin hasn't told his own best friend about his relationship(?) with the model. What did you expect him to do? Burst through the doors of their dorm one day and say, “hey Jeno and I make out often but we don't know what our actual status is”?

Exactly. Jaemin had no idea how to tell his best friend. He would either tease him or tell him _I told you so_ , or even both. Besides, nothing about his situation with Jeno was concrete yet.

As guilty as he felt, he didn't want to break the news to his best friend like that.

It was close to the end of his day, and Jaemin packs his things, already thinking of what he should get for dinner on his way home. He drops his weekly report on Key’s desk and waves goodbye to everyone on his way out, but just as the elevator doors open, a very familiar blond head appears before his eyes.

“Jeno?” He says, eyeing the model from head to toe.

He was dressed rather nicely that night - black jeans, sneakers and an oversized denim jacket draped over his broad shoulders. His hair was styled up, showing his forehead and thick eyebrows, and Jaemin was in awe at how good he looks.

“Oh!” Jeno exclaims, not expecting to see the person he was looking for literally the second the elevator doors were open. He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, shuffling backwards to allow the other to enter the elevator. “Well this is awkward.”

As soon as the elevator doors close, Jaemin laughs at the situation. Jeno leans over to press the button to the basement level, and the intern notices him hiding something behind his back.

“What do you have there?” He asks.

“Ah~” The model coos. He brings his hand forward to reveal a small and simple, but otherwise very pretty bouquet of baby’s breath, and Jaemin’s own breath hitches. “I got this for you.”

The brunette takes the bouquet from the other and picks at the small flowers between his fingers, his heart fluttering at the sweet gesture.

“Why though?” He questions out of curiosity. It was pretty out of the blue for Jeno to suddenly appear at his workplace with a bouquet of flowers unannounced.

“I uh… I wanted to bring you out on a date.” The model says shyly, looking everywhere but Jaemin’s eyes, and the intern widens them at the word _date_. “Dinner, at this Japanese restaurant that my cousin recommended. I already made a reservation.”

“Oh,” Jaemin is rendered speechless, his mouth agape like a fish out of water. “I uh-”  
  
“You don't have to say yes!” Jeno suddenly cuts him off when he feels the tension in the air. “It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be.”

The brunette frowns, feeling slightly guilty, because he knows how much Jeno likes him. He thinks about it for a moment, remembering his best friend’s words of just going with the flow, and decides that it wouldn't be so bad to go on an actual date with the other.

What's the worst that could happen?

“No no,” he says, and the model finally looks at him in the eyes. Jaemin exhales and gives a gentle smile, fiddling with the bouquet wrapping. “I mean yes, I’ll go on a date with you. I’d like that, actually.”

Jeno lets out a sigh of relief and grins, eyes crinkling into the usual crescents. The elevator door dings open, and the older guides the other out into the carpark. He opens the car door for him like the gentleman that he is, and receives an unceremonious peck on his cheek before sliding into the driver's seat and driving off with a wide smile.

_But good things never really last, do they?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don’t worry, no one’s gonna die (other than me) HAHAHA a lil on the short side because istg I rewrote this 827482 times and it was rotting in my basement so I just thought, eh about time ig heh was high key worried to update this bc I know it’s been ages and idk if y’all still remember this dumb fic but I was also scared it wouldn’t be up to standard bc yooo there has been so many amazing fics lately I’m shooketh oof anyways,, enjoy and give me your thoughts hoho (I promise I won’t take another year to update this HAHAHA)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm baaaaack~  
> Jeno is killing me istg those pictures from Grazia and Ceci got me dead in a ditch wow I love suffocating. Anyways, like I mentioned, I wanted to make this a really long one shot, and I am kind of almost done writing with the whole story, but I really wanted to post something to excite you guys so I decided to split it into 2 or 3 parts heh lmk your thoughts, hope yall enjoyed this woo <3


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